A Honey of a Good Time!
Got Swarm? We do!!
When we came home from our usual Saturday morning stroll through Chico's relaxed, music-filled, Farmer's Market -- and from my biannual Smog Check (ugh) -- I went inside to file my DMV/Pep Boys paperwork; the kids ran inside to play video games (grrr!); and Tim noticed some serious honeybee activity in the bushes next to our driveway. The same driveway where we both park our cars every day, day in and day out. The same driveway, next to which we've never noticed much (if any) bee activity at all, before today.
To his surprise, on closer examination, Tim found an entire SWARM of honeybees in a bush not more than six feet from his car. Huge as it was -- and I do mean HUGE! It was over a foot long from top to bottom and nearly a foot wide -- it was perfectly camoflauged and nearly invisible, except for the bees buzzing around it, whose moment and noise drew his attention.
Tim came inside to get me, telling me there was something "amazing" happening outside that I just HAD TO see, and would appreciate. He was right on both counts. Maybe this describes me unflatteringly as the urban dweller I am, but I admit, I've never been so close to so many bees in my life! And they were purely and totally fascinating. Some of them were even doing the infamous "Waggle Dance", in which one bee directs the rest of the hive toward a food source or nesting location, vibrating his body to indicate where it can be found by using the sun as a reference point for his dance. For a better understanding of this amazing dance, check out the short YouTube video I found on the subject.
After our initial nature-loving, Animal-Planet-watching, delight over this very cool find, we both became concerned about "what to do" next. Do we hire an exterminator? What kind of bees ARE these, anyway? A call to a pest control company was in order, for sure, just to get informed, and to explore options. I didn't know who else to call, frankly. So I phoned several companies, and awaited return messages from their technicians, out on calls. Here's what I learned.
First... Pest control companies don't "do" bees in California. Which was fine with me, because I didn't necessarily want to kill them, anyway. I know that honeybees are endangered and protected. And apprently, when they're found on a California property, the correct place to call is the Dept. of Agriculture, who will refer you to a beekeeper. Happily, one of the pest control companies had a keeper's name on file and referred me directly to a very competent local guy (VERY local -- like, around the block local!) who picked up right away when I called, and was as friendly and helpful as can be. He was waaaay reassuring, especially when he told me that Africanized bees don't come this far north, which would have been my only meaningful fear about the swarm being so close to out home and our cars. Africanized bees have a climate-imposed "border" way down south, near Death Valley, above which they haven't migrated. Yet. Whew!
Second, the beekeeper told me that since this gathering of bees came up seemingly over night and right under our noses (where we would have likely noticed a growing hive), the bees are almost certainly SWARMING, a colony on the move... versus building a home. Bees migrate from old hives and seek ground for new ones from time to time. When that happens, they first gorge themselves on food, and as a result, can only fly a short distance once they leave the old hive. What likely happened in our case, according to the beekeeping expect I consulted, is that my swarm is between hives, and looking for new nesting ground. Probably, the queen stopped to rest on our bush. So the entire hive quickly swarmed around her, to protect her; they became a kind of living cocoon for her, as she gathers strength, digests her last huge meal, and rests, giving time for her scouts to find new nesting grounds for the colony.
Very cool!
It's kinda scary, too, though... I admit. I'm definitely keeping my distance. I've only been stung by a bee once in my life, on the tip of my finger, and it was surprisingly, miserably painful, for way longer than I thought it would be. So I'd rather avoid THAT outcome, this time around.
I was curious enough, though, to snap these few pics... and have hubby take a few minutes of videotape of this very cool, probably transient event. The beekeeper told me if they're not gone by tomorrow he'll come by and see what he can do. I think he expects them to move on by morning.
I'll be sorta sad when they do, interestingly. Wish you could see what I see, today!!
More on bees, swarms, and hives, BELOW, from lasvegasnevada.gov :
Swarms of Bees are homeless bees moving from one place to another. When swarming they get tired or it gets too hot for them to fly, so the bees will find a place to rest and get out of the sun. Many times they are hanging from tree branches, street signs, fences, sides of buildings or on an object like a fire hydrant. They are like birds sitting on a wire. They just want to be left alone and rest. Since the swarm is not producing honey or caring for young bees, they will not sting unless provoked, and then usually only in extreme cases. Usually they will rest for a few hours or until late in the afternoon or the next morning. Because the bees are harmless, in most cases they are not exterminated. Safety tape is put up to advise the public of the bees and usually they leave and the tape is taken down.
Bee hives, especially those that are wild, are where the danger lies. Bees will build their hive (their home) in places where predators can not get to them such as inside sprinkler control boxes, street light poles, utility boxes in sidewalks, inside walls of buildings, inside concrete block walls and inside old hollow trees and desert plants. When the bees begin to produce honey (their food supply) and lay eggs for new bees, they will defend their home. When they believe that either their food supply is threatened or someone will kill their young, they will defend their home by stinging. In many cases the stinging can lead to hundreds of stings. Bees do not attack. They are only defending their home. Sometimes noises such as pounding the ground or tools such as lawnmowers or weed eaters will send out vibrations, which makes the bees believe someone is entering the hive to destroy it. They will send out bees to the source of the noise to defend the hive.
Bee hives are dangerous and should be removed by a professional bee removal service. It should never be done by a civilian.
